Redirected efforts result in a new start, something you may have experienced. Many times, when life comes to a dead end, it is a way for the Lord to redirect us so we can begin again. The Lord can use the loss of a job, a health issue, or other difficulty in life to redirect us to something better.
Other times, the Lord intervenes when we think everything is going fine. When God transforms us, our priorities and how we spend our time change. John Newton who wrote the Hymn “Amazing Grace,” was once a captain of a slave ship in 1748 until the Lord called him to faith during a great storm. After his conversion, the Lord gave him a new beginning, and he spent the rest of his life writing religious hymns and promoting the Gospel. As you reflect on your life, where has the Lord redirected you and given you a new beginning?
The Lord Scattered Those Building the Tower of Babel
The people rebelled against God by building the Tower of Babel. They wanted to be famous and resisted dispersing across the earth. We all can make the mistake of thinking we don’t need God. It is human nature to desire to do what we want.
Taking the broad path of worldly ways in life always leads us away from God and our relationship with Him. Instead of filling the earth, the people, as the Lord told them through Noah, decided to stay in one place. Rebellion against God is like an infection; it will worsen over time unless you do something.
Then God did something unexpected. Genesis 11:7 Come, let’s go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won’t be able to understand each other.” 8 In that way, the Lord scattered them all over the world, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why the city was called Babel, because that is where the Lord confused the people with different languages. In this way, he scattered them all over the world. [1]
Scattering the People Sets the Stage for God’s Plan
Scattering the people and giving them different languages was God’s mercy in many ways. Because they couldn’t speak the same language, the people began to scatter across the earth just as the Lord said. Despite the confusion, God set the stage for future unity with Christ, who reconciles divided humanity.
Jesus’ work on the cross brings reconciliation and unity between the believers. 1 Corinthians 1:10I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.[2]
Paul’s words tell the opposite of the prideful behavior of the builders of the Tower of Babel. When we submit to Christ, we have a unity of purpose that aligns, not obstructs, the Lord’s plans. Nothing is more fulfilling than being at the center of God’s will.
To learn how redirected efforts result in a new start, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/human-ambition-humbled
[1-2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.